Great Freedom

2021

DramaRomanceCrime

In post-war Germany, liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for everyone. Hans Hoffmann is repeatedly imprisoned under Paragraph 175, which criminalizes homosexuality. Nevertheless, over the decades, he continues his quest for freedom and love, even if he finds it in the most unusual places.

Rating

7.317
167 votes

Popularity

1.2609

Origin & Countries

DEAT | de | Austria,Germany

Production

FreibeuterFilm,Rohfilm

Runtime

116 min.

Budget (M$)

0.2 / 0ROI Infinity%

Status

Released

Release: 11/18/2021

Credits

Great Freedom

Sebastian MeiseDirector

Great Freedom

Franz RogowskiHans Hoffmann

Great Freedom

Georg FriedrichViktor

Great Freedom

Anton von LuckeLeo Giese

Great Freedom

Thomas PrennOskar

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Reviews

CinemaSerf

4/16/2024

7 / 10

It's curious to think that it is only fairly recently (1994!) that West Germany abolished it's odious "paragraph 175" legislation that imposed criminal penalties on homosexual men. Franz Rogowski is "Hoffman", a serial cottager who is frequently imprisoned for breaching this law. The film tells the rather bleak and depressing tale of his life spent behind bars: of his loves whilst there - notably with "Oskar" (Thomas Prenn) and "Leo" (Anton von Lucke); of his developing friendship with the straight and initially hostile "Viktor" (Georg Friedrich) and of the brutality of the prison system that reduced his quality of life to little more than that of street vermin. Rogowski (who reminds me a little of Joaquin Phoenix) is on good form as the story pans out; his character runs an whole gamut of emotions from love, despair, frustration and - very occasionally - joy, he even thinks of breaking out! By the time he is declared "legal", the character has become so institutionalised that freedom is nowhere near as attractive as he had expected it to be. It's not an easy film to watch, this one - made more potent by the fact the for much of the period he spent incarcerated, there were American soldiers guarding the jail too! The pace is slow, and the narrative switches timelines from time to time, so I needed to concentrate, but it is worth it if you are remotely interested in the ordeals of a man jailed just for being gay!

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